flit

verb

ˈflit 

flitted; flitting

intransitive verb

1

: to pass quickly or abruptly from one place or condition to another

2

archaic : alter, shift

3

: to move in an erratic fluttering manner

flit noun

Synonyms

• dance
• dart
• flick
• flicker
• flirt
• flitter
• flutter
• zip

Examples of flit in a Sentence

butterflies flitting around the garden

The hummingbird flitted from flower to flower.

She was always flitting around the kitchen.

Recent Examples on the Web

The show flits back and forth between the 1950s and the 1990s, when most of the 1950s artists were still very much alive. —Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2025

Since May 2021, these eyes have flitted back and forth night after night, pointing their fiber optic cables at galaxy after galaxy and collecting their light. —Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 19 Mar. 2025

No, not the supernatural spirits that flit through fairytales, but the bursts of rare red lightning that flicker and flash through the middle-upper atmosphere. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 19 Mar. 2025

In the moment, Lennix is pleasingly leonine, batting at Davis who, as Junior, flits around the stage like a dog stuck in one of those protective conical collars. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English flitten, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse flytjask to move, Old English flēotan to float

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing flit

• do a moonlight flit

Rhymes for flit

• bit
• brit
• britt
• chit
• fit
• grit
• hit
• it
• kitt
• knit
• lit
• mitt

Kids Definition

flit

verb

ˈflit 

flitted; flitting

: to move or progress in a quick irregular manner

flit noun